COVID-19 governance snapshot - Meg Matthews
25 May 2020
Meg Matthews
- Cawthron Institute - Chair
- Nelson Regional Development Agency - Chair
- Halberg Foundation - Director
- Mevo - Director
Where’s your governance attention primarily been focused over the last six weeks?
All the boards I serve on began connecting more frequently during lockdown – most of them meeting online once a week. Several boards have maintained that increased tempo.
My attention has predominantly been on working alongside NRDA, the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce and the two regional Councils establishing Project Kōkiri, a framework for the economic response, restart and recovery for our region.
The initial work for Project Kōkiri was on the region’s submission on the Crown Infrastructure Partner’s call for shovel ready projects. Taking an aligned approach meant that we were better positioned to leverage this, and any future Central Government investments, as we move through response into recovery mode.
Like many people, the first six weeks were a blur of adjusting to a new life of back-to-back zoom meetings and patchy rural internet connections. I definitely hadn’t predicted spending my Easter or Anzac weekends discussing an economic recovery with our two Mayors and assessing the priorities of shovel-ready projects with Mark Binns (Crown Infrastructure Partners Chair)
What’s been the focus of the organisations you’re involved with?
The overlap across each organisation was prioritizing the health & wellbeing of our people at all levels. And that has endured across all stages of lockdown and will continue well beyond the short term. Standing agenda items were people, funding, operational issues, customers and communications. The catch-cry of ‘cash is king’ was a very common theme.
What opportunities does the current situation present for the organisations you’re involved with and/or our region?
We’re now making sure that, using the framework for Project Kōkiri, our region will be match-fit and aligned to respond to Central Government funding opportunities as they present themselves.
Bringing the region together with a “We Are Nelson Tasman” campaign to build confidence & pride in our place, in our businesses and in our people. This is a really defining moment and we need to give voice to that, connect the dots and take the community with us on this significant journey.
The Tourism sector has connected strongly across the region with weekly zoom calls led by Johny O’Donnell and the NRDA. Through this forum they have been able to draw on each other for support, and had access to local and central Government Leaders to ensure their voices are heard.
What are you likely to approach differently now as a result of the last three months?
It’s going to be interesting to see how new behavioural shifts embed themselves into our everyday and how we will work, live and shop in a post-Covid world. Many of these changes and new behaviours will be with us for quite some time, and some will remain with us permanently.
It was heartening to see that kindness rose to the surface as workplace leaders became more accepting of the lockdown balance between the demands of children, distance learning and the black and white of work deadlines. For many working parents, the juggles of looking after children have long been a ‘hidden’ struggle. Covid-19 allowed these struggles to become a new normal.
Personally, I enjoyed the efficiency of zoom calls and the very easy commute to work and school!
How long do you envisage the recovery will take?
This depends on so many variables: success in re-directing domestic tourism into the regions; redeployment opportunities for our most effected sectors; the aforementioned behavioural changes and consumers ability to continue their contact hyper vigilance; the success of a vaccine.
What advice/encouragement would you give other directors who are struggling with effective governance at the moment?
This environment is completely new for everyone. Therefore the Four Pillars of Governance Best Practice, and in particular the second pillar of an effective governance culture is so important. Working effectively as a governance team and having a strong board culture has been essential. There’s been lots of opportunities to learn through things like IoD webinars. People should make use of that. It’s really about having resilience around your board table.
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